MANILA - The first batch of 34 Filipinos evacuated from Gaza arrived in the Philippines on Friday evening, relieved but also heartbroken at having to leave their Palestinian kin behind.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said there were 137 Filipinos in the Gaza Strip before Oct 7, when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its attack on Israel.
By Saturday, at least 78 Filipino nationals in Gaza had crossed the Rafah border into Egypt, where the Philippine government has been working to secure their flights back to Manila from Cairo.
The remainder, 59 of them, have decided to stay in Gaza as their Palestinian relatives have not been allowed to leave.
One Palestinian spouse of a Filipino evacuee, however, was able to obtain clearance to join those repatriated to Manila. It is unclear what criteria have to be met for both the Israeli and Egyptian governments to allow the Filipinos' Palestinian relatives to travel with them out of Gaza.
Most of the Filipino nationals in Gaza first worked in different parts of the Middle East before meeting their Palestinian spouses and eventually settling in the coastal strip.
Denne historien er fra November 12, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra November 12, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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